“In between my fair share of socializing, I practiced solving math and engineering problems until I was either confident enough to take the test or ran out of review time. There were lots of sleepless nights, but strong friendships were formed, and my persistence eventually paid off,” she continued.

After her graduation, Josephine moved to the US to further her Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from South Dakota State University.

It was in 2003, a few years later that she earned a pot for a summer job at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

“I had zero knowledge about space shuttles, and did not even know that there was an International Space Station orbiting above us. I was just happy to take a break from South Dakota,” she said.

Luckily for Josephine, the summer job turned into a graduate cooperative internship which led to a full-time job opportunity at the space center. Now, she works for NASA as one of their engineers!